Edith Wharton wrote the novel The Age of Innocence, a story about true love and betrayal. It asks the life long question of if a person should betray the one they promised their life to for the one they truly loved.
The main characters of the story include Newland Archer, May Welland, and the countess Ellen Olenska. Newland Archer is a young business man who has to choose between the two women he loves. May Welland is Archers's wife who is a follower of the high New York society and does not like change. The countess Ellen Olenska is Archer's true love and May's cousin. The countess Olenska does not believe in the ways of New York society and believes more in the modern ways of life. She is also currently in the middle of divorcing her husband the Count Olenska and Archer has been appointed her attorney. the setting takes palce in New york during the 1800s.
Newland Archer at the beginning of the story was thrilled to be engaged to the lovely May Welland unitl Ellen Olenska came back into his life. Archer was so excited about marrying May that he even begged her family to allow the wedding date to be sooner instead of the traditonal long engagement. After Ellen Olenska returned to New York, Archer tried for months to convince her to accept the idea of leaving his fiancee for her. At the same time, Archer still pushed the idea of an early wedding because he thought if he just married May his thoughts for Ellen Olenska would cease. Archer wouls soon find this not to be true. May's family soon agreed to the short engagement and Archer and May were married in no time. Archer would go a year wihtout talking to Ellen Olenska but, his feelings still exsisted despite his marriage. He still loved Ellen Olenska and would begin to lie to his wife about business trips just to see her alone. He continued on with his hidden secrets until May told him she was preganant. Archer now knew Ellen could not be a part of his life anymore and he had to commit to his wife and soon to be family. Archer would not even see Ellen anymore because she moved to England after hearing the news of May bearing child. Many years later Archer would have the oppurtuniy to see Ellen again, but he refused.
I believe if it was not for the social beliefs of New York at the time Archer would have left his wife completly for Ellen Olenska. Even though Archer did not leave his wife he still betrayed her by making secret plans and spending his whole life dreaming it was Ellen he had married instead. He found Ellen Olenska so attractive because she was so different from everyone else. A good way to describe America at this time is to say it was going through a neo-classicism era. While on the other hand Ellen Olenska could be better described as a follower of the Romanticism era. The countess Olenska valued other peoples' feelings, while the society of New York was only based on traditon. All that mattered to Ellen Olenska was that her choices were her own and they brought her happiness. This is why she was such an outcast in New York. She believed divorce and betrayal was okay if it was for the right reason. Newland Archer was torn between these two eras. He wanted to be happy, but knew he could not break the ways of society.
In my opinion this was an excelllenat love story. Even though the setting of this book was from so long ago most of these issues still exist today. I thought it was ironic how May became pregnant as soon as Archer was about to announce his departure. It was almost as if it was planned and as if she suspected the news of his departure. Maybe May had planned it just right and went to an extreme to keep Archer with her or maybe it was just fate playing it's course. I could not imagine the emotional ups and downs May must of experienced while being suspicious of Archer's behavior. It was as if they were both living a lie that everyone knew of, but chose to keep a secret. It was a shame that Archer could not live out his life with his true love, but I think Archer did the right thing by choosing to stay married to his wife. Sometimes it is just better to let people go.
SETTING
The setting of the Age of Innocence takes place in New York in the early 1870s. The story setting is in a New York society where change is not accepted. The society is full of mostly wealthy people who follow strict social guidelines. If these guidelines are not followed, the person that goes against the gidelines will shame themselves and their family. In this story, Newland Archer, a wealthy business man, is strongly accepted by the society. His wife, May Welland, is socially accepted because she follows all guidelines and doesn't like change. Ellen Osenka, Newland Archer's true love, is not accepted by society because she left her husband and is getting a divorce. All throughought the book, the social setting stays the same. Ellen is only accepted by her family and she doesn't care about society. Ellen will only do things that she wants to do. She doesn't like that the New York society is based on guidelines. She thinks people should make their own deciscions and do things that make them happy instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks. The setting being in a high New York society can relate to societies today. In New York and Hollywood, everything is based on money, fame, and looks. Everyone is trying to be like everyone else. Ellen didn't want to follow everyone else. She wanted to be her own person, but unfortunately, in the New York society she lived in, she couldn't if she wanted to be accepted. The setting definately set the mood for the story. Having the setting in a New York society, the mood came across as happy for most, but with a sadness from others as well. The people living and accepted in the society are mostly happy to be there and are happy things are the way they are. Newland gets sad and dissapointed when he can't get to Ellen because it would be unaccepted for him to leave his wife and marry a woman who did the same to her husband. The setting also has a little lesson in that everyone tries to be accepted by people and they change their ways so people will like them, but they really just need to be themselves and follow their heart in situations they know they need to make their own choices.
The main characters of the story include Newland Archer, May Welland, and the countess Ellen Olenska. Newland Archer is a young business man who has to choose between the two women he loves. May Welland is Archers's wife who is a follower of the high New York society and does not like change. The countess Ellen Olenska is Archer's true love and May's cousin. The countess Olenska does not believe in the ways of New York society and believes more in the modern ways of life. She is also currently in the middle of divorcing her husband the Count Olenska and Archer has been appointed her attorney. the setting takes palce in New york during the 1800s.
Newland Archer at the beginning of the story was thrilled to be engaged to the lovely May Welland unitl Ellen Olenska came back into his life. Archer was so excited about marrying May that he even begged her family to allow the wedding date to be sooner instead of the traditonal long engagement. After Ellen Olenska returned to New York, Archer tried for months to convince her to accept the idea of leaving his fiancee for her. At the same time, Archer still pushed the idea of an early wedding because he thought if he just married May his thoughts for Ellen Olenska would cease. Archer wouls soon find this not to be true. May's family soon agreed to the short engagement and Archer and May were married in no time. Archer would go a year wihtout talking to Ellen Olenska but, his feelings still exsisted despite his marriage. He still loved Ellen Olenska and would begin to lie to his wife about business trips just to see her alone. He continued on with his hidden secrets until May told him she was preganant. Archer now knew Ellen could not be a part of his life anymore and he had to commit to his wife and soon to be family. Archer would not even see Ellen anymore because she moved to England after hearing the news of May bearing child. Many years later Archer would have the oppurtuniy to see Ellen again, but he refused.
I believe if it was not for the social beliefs of New York at the time Archer would have left his wife completly for Ellen Olenska. Even though Archer did not leave his wife he still betrayed her by making secret plans and spending his whole life dreaming it was Ellen he had married instead. He found Ellen Olenska so attractive because she was so different from everyone else. A good way to describe America at this time is to say it was going through a neo-classicism era. While on the other hand Ellen Olenska could be better described as a follower of the Romanticism era. The countess Olenska valued other peoples' feelings, while the society of New York was only based on traditon. All that mattered to Ellen Olenska was that her choices were her own and they brought her happiness. This is why she was such an outcast in New York. She believed divorce and betrayal was okay if it was for the right reason. Newland Archer was torn between these two eras. He wanted to be happy, but knew he could not break the ways of society.
In my opinion this was an excelllenat love story. Even though the setting of this book was from so long ago most of these issues still exist today. I thought it was ironic how May became pregnant as soon as Archer was about to announce his departure. It was almost as if it was planned and as if she suspected the news of his departure. Maybe May had planned it just right and went to an extreme to keep Archer with her or maybe it was just fate playing it's course. I could not imagine the emotional ups and downs May must of experienced while being suspicious of Archer's behavior. It was as if they were both living a lie that everyone knew of, but chose to keep a secret. It was a shame that Archer could not live out his life with his true love, but I think Archer did the right thing by choosing to stay married to his wife. Sometimes it is just better to let people go.
SETTING
The setting of the Age of Innocence takes place in New York in the early 1870s. The story setting is in a New York society where change is not accepted. The society is full of mostly wealthy people who follow strict social guidelines. If these guidelines are not followed, the person that goes against the gidelines will shame themselves and their family. In this story, Newland Archer, a wealthy business man, is strongly accepted by the society. His wife, May Welland, is socially accepted because she follows all guidelines and doesn't like change. Ellen Osenka, Newland Archer's true love, is not accepted by society because she left her husband and is getting a divorce. All throughought the book, the social setting stays the same. Ellen is only accepted by her family and she doesn't care about society. Ellen will only do things that she wants to do. She doesn't like that the New York society is based on guidelines. She thinks people should make their own deciscions and do things that make them happy instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks. The setting being in a high New York society can relate to societies today. In New York and Hollywood, everything is based on money, fame, and looks. Everyone is trying to be like everyone else. Ellen didn't want to follow everyone else. She wanted to be her own person, but unfortunately, in the New York society she lived in, she couldn't if she wanted to be accepted. The setting definately set the mood for the story. Having the setting in a New York society, the mood came across as happy for most, but with a sadness from others as well. The people living and accepted in the society are mostly happy to be there and are happy things are the way they are. Newland gets sad and dissapointed when he can't get to Ellen because it would be unaccepted for him to leave his wife and marry a woman who did the same to her husband. The setting also has a little lesson in that everyone tries to be accepted by people and they change their ways so people will like them, but they really just need to be themselves and follow their heart in situations they know they need to make their own choices.